2 The Sixth, I give you
by AlyssC01
Summary: Sequel to Feather in the Wind. Just a little fic to tie up some loose ends. SAF


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TITLE: The Sixth, I give you.  
AUTHOR: AlyssaC  
EMAIL:  
CATEGORY: Sequel  
WARNINGS: Written very quickly in the middle of the night. This has not been beta'd. __FEEDBACK: Please, I even take constructive critics. Constructive mind you.  
DISCLAIMER: 'Skydancers' does not belong to me. I don't know who they do belong to, but it's not me.  
Joanie-Ellen and all the original plot twists do belong to me though and I'm very protective. If you do want to use her, or some of the other story plots please ask first.  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the Sequel to Feather in the Wind, a little bit of fun just to tie up some loose ends and answer a few question I didn't previously have the answers to! Hope you enjoy it. PLEASE REVIEW! Will do tricks for Reviews. _

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**The Sixth, I Give you. **

"How long has it been?"  
Queen Skyla startled up and blinked at the Tinker who had appeared behind her unnoticed.

"What do you mean Master Tinker?" She asked cautiously and moved away from her vantage point by the window.  
The Tinker raised a bushy eyebrow and smiled.

"That girl that you have been staring at for the past hour." He pointed out. "How long ash she been busy?"  
Comprehension dawned on Skyla as she smiled and turned back to the window.

"Well, I saw her settle down this morning just after we came and she doesn't usually stop drawing until she's finished or she's forced to get up." She smiled. "In that at least she seem to have patience that will most probably outlast this world." Turning away from the window Queen Skyla sat down and motioned for the Tinker to do the same.

"How has she been coping?" The old man asked as he made himself comfortable.

Skyla, who was busy shuffling around some paperwork she was suppose to work on, blinked at him surprised. Since he had heard that Skyla was going to adopt the girl he hadn't spared her a second glance.

"She's... coping." She said carefully. "I won't lie to you and say that things are going great. She wasn't lying when she said that she had an attitude problem, but she does tend to lie about everything else now and again. I also think that it is difficult for her to suddenly dance to somebody else's tune. She's been living on her own for the better part of five years. Accepting authority isn't going to come easily."

The Tinker smiled. "But..." He added for her.  
Skyla shoo her head at him.

"But she's trying." She said with a smile. "She is really putting in an effort and I can only give her credit for that. Most of the time, when she looses her temper, it's mostly due to frustration because she can't do something or she doesn't know something we consider as obvious." She shuddered. "Math is a big dark storm on the horizon."

The Tinker smiled and touched his beard. "She won't be good with numbers." He pointed out. "Her head's full of pictures."

Skyla raised an amused eyebrow. "Well she'll be glad to hear that you have so much confidence in her." She said dryly. "Honestly..." She shook her head and smiled. "No, I understand what you mean. She's got her head in the clouds." There was a moment's pause as Skyla sighed. "It's just a shame that I don't have the powers to give it to her literally. That's the only thing she really wanted. Her own set of wings." Skyla got a far away look in her eye as she stood up to look at Joanie again. "This may sound strange Master Tinker but, I feel as if I've known her all my life. Sometimes, when she gives me a certain look, or she plays with the dogs or... When she's here. That's why it's so sad that I can't give her a feather because, somehow I _know_ that she belongs."

The Tinker shifted and smiled at her. "It might still be possible." He said with a glint in his eye.

Skyla blinked at him and sat down. "There's only five feathers." She pointed out.

The Tinker smiled mysteriously. "Forgive me my Queen." He intoned. "But I would have to disagree with you."  
The Queen gave him a startled look.

"What's this about?" She queried curious.

The Tinker shifted so that he could take something from his robes. "This is not a social visit." He stated and pushed something in the puzzled Queen's direction.  
Intrigued Skyla picked up the tiny carved box and studied it. She glanced at the Tinker as she ran her fingers over the faded top and clicked it open.

Skyla gasped surprise and gave the Tinker a bewildered look.

"Where did you get this?" She breathed and put the box down. The Tinker watched as she moved her gloved hand over the small case and briefly closed her eyes. As the crystal flared to life there was another glow from below her hand. When Skyla moved her hand up a fast silver spinning orb drifted up.

Skyla opened her eyes to study it.

"Where did you get this?" She repeated the unanswered question as she studied the Silver Feather in the midst of the glowing lightning like tendrils that surrounded it.

The Tinker smiled and sat back. "A young Traveler's gift from the Realm beyond ours." He said. "It was given a sign of good will between our kind and theirs."

Skyla stared at the man. "Why didn't you show this to me sooner." She said and turned her palm up. The Feather stopped spinning and drifted up to rest on her hand. "Who is this man?"

The Tinker shrugged. "A man from my past." He said lightly. "As you can see, it responds to your stone.

Skyla turned the small feather around on her palm.

"Do you know what Power it holds?" She asked.

At this, the Tinker shook his head. "No." He admitted. "That was not shared with me, but I was assured that it won't be dangerous to the person controlling it."  
Queen Skyla raised an amused eyebrow as she put it back in the box. "But, most probably to those around it I gather."

She closed the box and frowned at it.

"A Silver Feather." She whispered to herself and glanced at the Tinker. "It's not a completely foreign idea, I could almost swear..."  
She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Would you do me a favor and go call Head Councilwoman Faolin?" She queried and picked up the box. "There's some preparations to be made..."

"You'll do fine."

"It'll be over before it began."

"Joanie, relax will ya? There's nothing to be scared of."

The girl shifted from one foot to the other and glanced at the group around her. They were standing in front of the entrance to a large banquet hall in the palace.

"I don't think that I'd..." She hesitated and tried to move away from them. "I don't think I'm ready for this, you know, I'm not as brave as you and... I mean, it's too early and..."  
Slam grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a playful shake. "You're not chickening out." He said sharply. "If you do, I'm taking my CD's back."

The comment earned him a nervous laugh.  
Jade gave her a reassuring hug. "You'll do fine." She repeated what she had said. "Don't worry, you're one of us now. If you're not brave enough – which you are by the way – we'll look after you as times will come when you will look after us."

Breeze came closer. "It's not about being brave or strong of fast." He added. "None of us are all of that. But, what's important is that we all know what we should do and, we love the woman we serve. When the time comes, you'll find that that will give you all you mentioned and more. Now we'll have to leave you for only a moment okay? The guard will tell you when you can walk in."

Giving a few last encouraging praises and hugs the group filtered away, leaving Joanie standing in the large hall by herself. Except for the two guards there were very few people around. Mostly due to the fact that everybody was already inside.  
Her stomach made an intricate twist.

She wouldn't have minded being forewarned. Or told exactly what was going to happen.

She sniffed and listened to the muffled voices inside. Someone was giving a speech but only snatches of their muffled tone drifted through the door.

Joanie shifted again and wondered whether now would be a good time to run.

Or not.  
One of the guards gave her a reassuring smile as he moved to open the door.

"Good luck kid." He whispered and motioned her through. "Welcome to our world."  
Joanie bit her lip and nodded. She looked around the hall and noticed that every person inside had turned to look at her. She would've slinked back right there but then she noticed that everybody she knew was waiting for her at the end of the hall. When Queen Skyla's eyes met hers over the distance between them Joanie found herself smiling as she started to walk forward without hesitance. The woman spoke while she walked forward but Joanie heard none of it. All she was aware of was the warm reassurance that shone from Skyla's eyes.

The five Skydancers had formed two rows, with the Lady Faolin filling up the odd row. Behind them, Queen Skyla and the Tinker stood on a slightly raised platform. Joanie walked up between the rows but hesitated at the bottom of the steps.

She dropped her head in a deep bow and stayed down until she felt a light hand on her shoulder. She still flinched at touch but she quickly suppressed it and looked up at the woman before her.

"Joanie-Ellen I welcome you in my court." Skyla said in a rich ceremonious voice, with a twinkle in her eye especially for the girl.

Joanie smiled nervously and nodded. She was suppose to say something in return but her throat had gone extremely dry.

Skyla continued as if nothing had happened. She gently motioned for Joanie-Ellen to turn around and rested both hands on her shoulders.

"My husband once told me that great things come in very small packages." She said with a small smile. "I will not elaborate on the setting where this was used..." She paused as the hall laughed. "But I can say that in my life it has been proven true a thousand times over. The only problem with that is, sometimes, people fail to see those great small things and they are mislooked and forgotten. It's a lot easier to see the grand feats of those whole make themselves large, than the enormous feats of those who choose to remain little. Today, I will not make that mistake. She motioned for Joanie to turn around and took her hand as she led her up the stairs.

"Joanie-Ellen." She said when everybody could see them. "Today, I would like to invite you to join our hall and our people and implore you to join my personal ranks. What say you?"

Joanie didn't look at anything else as she nodded and quickly went down on one knee.

"I do." She said. "I... I swear by all that I am to serve you and protect you. Your life before mine, my life in your hands."  
There was a startled silence in the hall. This was not part of the ceremony.  
Queen Skyla started at the kneeling child, clearly startled. She glanced at her Skydancers to see whether they knew something about this but the group seemed as startled as she was.

Kneeling she pulled the girl up and smiled at her. "That was not necessary." She whispered softly but Joanie shook her head stubbornly.

"I wanted to do it."

The Queen smiled as the Tinker stepped forward.

"Then I accept it, and promise to keep you in my protections as well." She said, fully aware that Joanie had sworn allegiance to her, and not her thrown. All the other Skydancer had sworn to protect the kingdom as custom requested.

"Joanie-Ellen I here by present you with a Feather of Flight. Accept this token as proof of your connection with this realm."  
She took the Silver Feather from the box the Tinker was holding out to her and placed it in the girl's hands, enclosing her own around the girl's fists.

"Will you come when I call Joanie-Ellen?" She asked. "Do you accept this responsibility?"

The girl looked at their hands and nodded, her eyes shining.

"If it is to be, it's up to me." She said clearly.

A bright light burst out from between their fists.

When in cleared Queen Skyla smiled down pleased at the figure before her.

Joanie's dark blue wings twitched nervously, making the swirls of silver wink in the light. Despite the audience present Skyla reached out and slowly ran her hand through the girl's short crop, noticing the two toned silver and blue highlights.

Joanie smiled nervously and glanced down at her garb, also a combination of blue and silver. She touched the Silver Feather on her belt.

"Can't remember the last time I wore a skirt." She commented lightly. "Or wings for that matter." The latter was said in a barely audible whisper.

A cheer, started by the Skydancers, rose up from the audience.

"You're one of us now Joanie!" Slam yelled out. "Go Jones!"

With wide eyes Joanie stared at the people around her. She felt a tug on her hand and looked up. Skyla was hovering just a few centimeters from the ground.

"Come on." She coached. "It will come naturally."

Joanie bit her lip and glanced at her shoulders, noticing the way her wings twitched and, noticing how she was aware that they were twitching. She looked up again and returned the grip Skyla had on her hand, praying that she was right and that flying would come naturally.

It did...

FIN.

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_AN: Okay, that settled the beginning. To the people who had read FEATHER IN THE WIND before the 8TH OF SEPTEMBER! I had made a huge mistake with the final paragraph, leaving out whole section. Just go back and read it please, otherwise I would've let a thread hang with out weaving it in! Big apologies for that one. _

_SPOILERS FOR STORY TO COME: (Set between Feather in the Wind and To Dance) _

_-A childish gesture... A rip in time... A broken circle or the correction or another? Past and Present flows into one as six Skydancers gets lost in the ripples of time. (Based on one of the episodes.) _

_What's she on about? Well, come back in a week or so and find out! :D _


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